Sandeep Sharma leads Punjab's dominance

[rkt.india]

A young and vibrant Punjab team is on a roll this Ranji Trophy season. On Tuesday, they routed defending champions Rajasthan by nine wickets for their fourth outright victory in five matches. Jiwanjot Singh - who cracked his third century since in his debut season - and Sandeep Sharma who chalked up eight wickets in the match - were the chief architects of Punjab's win on Tuesday. Punjab team is the most inexperienced and young team in the Ranji Trophy and not much was expected from them before the tournament kicked off, but they have surprised by putting up a spirited show and toppling teams like Bengal and Rajasthan. Sandeep has 29 wickets in five matches the highest by any bowler as yet - and vindicated the promise he demonstrated at this year's Under-19 World Cup where he was India's highest wicket-taker. His ability to swing the ball prodigiously drew high accolades from Wasim Akram and Ian Chappell. He speaks to Cricketnext about his and Punjab's success this season. What is the reason behind Punjab's resounding success in the Ranji Trophy this year? We are the youngest team in the tournament and each one us is determined to carve a niche for himself. We're mighty motivated to do well. All of us want to make a statement and instill a sense of trepidation in other teams. There's great camaraderie among the team and we enjoy each others' success. We toiled relentlessly during our preparation camp before the tournament and the hard work is reaping rich dividends now. Mandeep Singh is a very fine captain. His approach towards the game is positive and aggressive. Unlike other teams, we play to win matches, not to scratch out a draw. Another prominent reason is the rich talent pool of Punjab. Jiwanjot, Siddarth Kaul, Gurkeerat Singh, Mandeep and I played with each other for Punjab's U-19 team and we dominated that domain for a couple of years. Now that cluster of youngsters has graduated to the first-class level. There's a deep understanding of each other's strengths and failings. We back, support and encourage each other. You're the highest wicket-taker so far, 29 scalps in five matches. What was your strategy going into the tournament? My game plan is simple; pitch the ball consistently in the corridor of uncertainty and let the batsman make mistakes. My mantra is: bore the batsman out and flummox him suddenly with a corker; he's bound to make mistake. My experience of the last season, when I played three matches, also came in handy. I picked up a few tricks of the trade which kept me in good stead. The pitch at Mohali offers good movement to seamers and I keep the ball up and invite batsmen to drive. Is there a gulf between U-19 and first-class cricket? Of course, there's a massive difference. In U-19 cricket, most batsmen are greenhorns and are not very mature. They could throw their wickets away at times. In first-class cricket, one has to earn every wicket. Batsmen are seasoned and compact. You have to be very patient at times as there would be patches when wickets won't come your way. Batsmen would pile up runs. You might not get any wicket in a day, and then suddenly fetch wickets in heaps the other day. The crucial point is to stay clued in and grab opportunities when they arise. I've bagged 18 wickets in the last two matches, but last season I bashed away with little reward. You have to keep upgrading your set of skills to survive in first-class cricket. This format of the game grooms and polishes you to become an accomplished performer. All the members of U-19 World Cup squad are doing very well this season... This is brilliant for Indian cricket, no? Unmukt Chand, Baba Aparajith, Hanuma Vihari, Smit Patel, Rush Kalaria and Prashant Chopra have all cracked centuries. For all of us this is either the debut or second season. We need to prove our credentials in this form of cricket to be taken seriously as cricketers. We keep in touch with each other and make sure to congratulate whenever any of us performs well. It's a great feeling that we are able to emulate our U-19 World Cup form in first-class cricket. But this is just a beginning; our aim is to represent India together as the next breed. What about your interaction with Harbhajan Singh? Bhajji paaji will always remain a special person in my life. He was my captain when I made my first-class debut last year against Uttar Pradesh. Like any youngster, I had jitters but he quelled them by showing immense warmth. He made me feel at ease and told me to come to him if I face any problem. He told me to just concentrate on cricket and shut out extraneous factors. He encouraged me to give inputs in team meetings and made me feel a part of the team. I never felt that I am playing with someone of his stature - a man who has more than 400 Test wickets to his credit. He behaves as if he's like any of us. Coming back to the Ranji Trophy, how are you looking forward to the season ahead now that it's almost certain Punjab have qualified for the quarter-finals? Our aim is to take each game as it comes and focus on winning every match. I'm not thinking too far ahead about quarter-finals or semi-finals. If we play good cricket, we'll obviously cruise through. We're striving to up the ante with each passing game.

http://cricketnext.in.com/live/news/ranji-trophy-sandeep-leads-punjabs-dominance/69650-13.html

[Lord]

should play in tests.guy in form.cant be much worse than Sharma we r playing

[rkt.india]

should play in tests.guy in form.cant be much worse than Sharma we r playing

No. Cannot right now. He will be thrashed all over on these dead pitches like last year ranji trophy. This year he got seam friendly conditions in Mohali. He does not need be drafted in too early. I guess our bowlers have done very well in this test on a flat yrack. England ae stuill not runnign away with the game because they have not been given free runs. No ball is started to turn a bit more. If spinners can do their job now with the turn available they can still stop England.

[Old guy]

agree on this track bowlers have done well i blame our batting and forget guys like sandeep and shami for now we need to get guys like pankaj singh in team who might not become our best bowler ever but is in form and bowling well and we should use him now..

[Lord]

No. Cannot right now. He will be thrashed all over on these dead pitches like last year ranji trophy. This year he got seam friendly conditions in Mohali. He does not need be drafted in too early. I guess our bowlers have done very well in this test on a flat yrack. England ae stuill not runnign away with the game because they have not been given free runs. No ball is started to turn a bit more. If spinners can do their job now with the turn available they can still stop England.

done very well?which game r u watching man.track is docile but srtill good line n length can cause problems,watch how Anderson bowled. n its not patta as well.it has got uneven bounce.watch Dhoni's wicket.Anderson troubled SRT with bounce too.its not about containing runs,they need to create more opportunities about Sandeep,hes the man in form n confidence.its not early.Ishant was 19 too wen he was picked n he was good initially. picking a bowler who averages 38,n above 100 in last 10 tests serves a bad signal anyway

[Lord]

agree on this track bowlers have done well i blame our batting and forget guys like sandeep and shami for now we need to get guys like pankaj singh in team who might not become our best bowler ever but is in form and bowling well and we should use him now..

agree

[Old guy]

done very well?which game r u watching man.track is docile but srtill good line n length can cause problems,watch how Anderson bowled. n its not patta as well.it has got uneven bounce.watch Dhoni's wicket.Anderson troubled SRT with bounce too.its not about containing runs,they need to create more opportunities about Sandeep,hes the man in form n confidence.its not early.Ishant was 19 too wen he was picked n he was good initially. picking a bowler who averages 38,n above 100 in last 10 tests serves a bad signal anyway

anderson bowled against our batsmen that is big difference

[Lord]

anderson bowled against our batsmen that is big difference

so his line n lengths were right oz he was bowling to our batsman?stop talking stupid man

[Old guy]

so his line n lengths were right oz he was bowling to our batsman?stop talking stupid man

no his line and length got him wickets cos he was bowling against us same as australia those guys could bowl us out in session..we never had session i naustralia where wicket did not fell and same bowlers bowling in same conditions and similar skill were not able to get faf and ab out for 100 overs in total :giggle: this is just one example.. if out bowlers bowl line anderson did cook will just leave all balls out side off stump and play incoming ones at last minute thats how u play swing kohli should have left it since it was reversing i know it could have come in but still u dont fish out side off stump and really dhoni's dismissal he made it look like snotter it was nothing msot batsmen owuld have played it easily on this track sorry but our batting failed here this is 600 track and yesterday and today are the best days to bat on ..thsi is not bad bowling performance specially if u think cook was dropped...

[rkt.india]

done very well?which game r u watching man.track is docile but srtill good line n length can cause problems,watch how Anderson bowled. n its not patta as well.it has got uneven bounce.watch Dhoni's wicket.Anderson troubled SRT with bounce too.its not about containing runs,they need to create more opportunities about Sandeep,hes the man in form n confidence.its not early.Ishant was 19 too wen he was picked n he was good initially. picking a bowler who averages 38,n above 100 in last 10 tests serves a bad signal anyway

Anderson got reverse otherwise he was ineffecetive to and our batsmen batted poorly. There is nothing in the pitch. Our bowlers bowled normally good line and length that is why scoring is so slow, less than 3 RPO. Every bowler is getting a bit of uneven bounce and that happens occasionally itself, not because of a bowler. That was just bad luck that Dhoni got awakward bounce, not because bowler did anything special and Finn is 6 foot 8 and was a bit quicker. Dont talk about SRT, he struggled and scratched around whole innings. It is him who should be blamed for our collapse, came in at 4 and stopped all the momentum, furstrated other batsmen too at once we were going 4 RPO. His 76 were of litttle use when he got settled and could not make it big that is why his time is over. Reagrding Sandeep, we did same mistake with Ishant brought him too early at 18. He was not developed too, did not have much FC experience too. Same is Sandeep. Look at last year, on the same Mohali pitch but lifeless, he was thrashed all over. This year he got better condtions and did well. He is still need to learn a lot and mature. We shoould not pick fast bowlers before age 22 and should give them enough time to learn in FC cricket. I would rather pick a bowler who has done well in relatively flatter conditions likes of Pankaj Singh, Ishwar Pandey, etc. Even Shami is to learn a lot but Shami will be ready by SA tour next year as he will have enough maches and India A experience under his belt and SA conditions will suit him too. Regarding Ishant, I was never in favor of him being picked without proving himself in domestic cricket again. He lacked match practice and is low in pace and that is evident in his bowling. I would have played Dinda instead.

[Old guy]

totally agree with rkt..even about selections :nice:

[Lord]

no his line and length got him wickets cos he was bowling against us same as australia those guys could bowl us out in session..we never had session i naustralia where wicket did not fell and same bowlers bowling in same conditions and similar skill were not able to get faf and ab out for 100 overs in total :giggle:

our batting is not good as SA,they r no.1 side for a reason,but that doesnt mean bowlers should not do anything.even in Aus conditions,our bowlers were pathetic

this is just one example.. if out bowlers bowl line anderson did cook will just leave all balls out side off stump and play incoming ones at last minute thats how u play swing kohli should have left it since it was reversing i know it could have come in but still u dont fish out side off stump

Kohli played at that bcoz Anderson was consistently bowling great line n length n swinging the ball,making Kohli play most of the time.the spell was very good n would hv got many batsmen.our bowlers r just not consistent.they dont make batsmen play often n bowl wrong lengths

[and really dhoni's dismissal he made it look like snotter it was nothing msot batsmen owuld have played it easily on this track

even commies called it snorter:facepalm: SRT also got similar ball but survived.cant remember wen Cook got a similar ball

sorry but our batting failed here this is 600 track and yesterday and today are the best days to bat on ..thsi is not bad bowling performance specially if u think cook was dropped...

yes 600 track against our bowling,if u blaming drop catch,then also remember Sehwag got run out by GG.

[Old guy]

what logic is that they are no 1 side? they bat well thts why they are no 1 side and strong side we bat badly and cos of that we are piss poor even south africa's bowling struggled in australia so did ours on flat tracks we scored 500 runs against every team on these tracks .. reverse swing? this was nothing just moved a bit its not like he was bowling at 150 k..we make these good balls look like unplayable ones while good test batsmen jsut leave them alone thats the difference we hae always seen high scoring games here with last 2 day in 2nd innings bowlers come in and u get teams out under 450 and get lead of 150 or 100 then play well in 2nd..did u watched chennai game last time england played here?

[Lord]

Anderson got reverse otherwise he was ineffecetive to and our batsmen batted poorly. There is nothing in the pitch. Our bowlers bowled normally good line and length that is why scoring is so slow' date=' less than 3 RPO. Every bowler is getting a bit of uneven bounce and that happens occasionally itself, not because of a bowler. That was just bad luck that Dhoni got awakward bounce, not because bowler did anything special and Finn is 6 foot 8 and was a bit quicker.[/quote'] getting reverse is one thing,using it is another.I watched Zaheer spell a while back.the ball was moving s bit,but he was bowling slower balls in between n away from Cook.the attitude is avoid getting hit rather than taking wickets which is why RPO is less than 3,not bcoz of good bowling.even Ojha was bowling all over the place in terms of line,not consistent line n lengths.only Ashwin has been decent,but he too has bowled on leg side often,atleast finger spinners should be able to maintain good line n length I agree he was too cautious against Monty.but otherwise he was okay,given the bowling.yes he should hv carried on,but the ball he got out too was too good.just straightened enough to take the edge the comment about Sandeep was more in line with anyone but Ishant,yes I agree guys like Pankaj,Dinda should play while Sandeep,Shami should be taken on A tours

[Lord]

what logic is that they are no 1 side? they bat well thts why they are no 1 side and strong side we bat badly and cos of that we are piss poor even south africa's bowling struggled in australia so did ours on flat tracks we scored 500 runs against every team on these tracks .. reverse swing? this was nothing just moved a bit its not like he was bowling at 150 k..we make these good balls look like unplayable ones while good test batsmen jsut leave them alone thats the difference we hae always seen high scoring games here with last 2 day in 2nd innings bowlers come in and u get teams out under 450 and get lead of 150 or 100 then play well in 2nd..did u watched chennai game last time england played here?

I meant they r excellent batting side,we r not excellent,but still decent yes we used to score 500 on these tracks with batsman saving our arses,now they r not doing it,lets blame them n ignore our always pathetic bowling:nice: batsman get out only on 150k deliveries?thats news to me:hysterical::hysterical:

[Old guy]

I meant they r excellent batting side,we r not excellent,but still decent yes we used to score 500 on these tracks with batsman saving our arses,now they r not doing it,lets blame them n ignore our always pathetic bowling:nice: batsman get out only on 150k deliveries?thats news to me:hysterical::hysterical:

no but reverse swing is not unplayable at 130 k :) people fear reverse swing of waqar and wasim cos it was unplayable able at pace at this pace its a threat but u can survive at this level u have to survive..pujara did in first test :winky:

[Lord]

no but reverse swing is not unplayable at 130 k :) people fear reverse swing of waqar and wasim cos it was unplayable able at pace at this pace its a threat but u can survive at this level u have to survive..pujara did in first test :winky:

there was no reverse in first test as much as I saw,Zak used to get wickets with reverse at 130k only.the one that got Sachin was 135,the one that Kohli was 138 anyway

[Sandeep99]

Just waiting for our selectors to pick this guy in LOis on dead tracks, his confidence going low, another trundler and the rest we know :((

[Old guy]

there was no reverse in first test as much as I saw' date='Zak used to get wickets with reverse at 130k only.the one that got Sachin was 135,the one that Kohli was 138 anyway[/quote'] yes he used to but was he unplayable ? and anderson did not bowl as well as zack used to bowl i remember his spells ...that ball to lee got off stump around the wicket! swinging away i saw this match yesterday or atleast whole spell of anderson it was good bowling we just made it look betterl ike we have against every team!

[Lord]

yes he used to but was he unplayable ? and anderson did not bowl as well as zack used to bowl i remember his spells ...that ball to lee got off stump around the wicket! swinging away i saw this match yesterday or atleast whole spell of anderson it was good bowling we just made it look betterl ike we have against every team!

ky unplayable bakwaas hai yaar?are batsmen allowed to get out only on unplayable deliveries.it was a very good delivery n would hv troubled most batsmen.end of yes Zaj USED TO bowl well.he isnt now.thats the whole point